#5 Zlata Filipovic: The Bosnian Genocide and How Labels Can Lead to Destruction

Erin's brother Chris Gruwell brings us back to Bosnia in the early 1990s, where he visited as an American soldier at the time of a brutal civil war (a conflict which was later classified as a genocide). Chris recalls the chaos and violence in Sarajevo, painfully punctuated by an overwhelming sense of helplessness to stop the slaughter, and then recounts his experience chaperoning the Freedom Writers' trip to Europe in 1999. Next, Erin introduces her featured guest -- author, activist, and documentary filmmaker Zlata Filipovic, who was dubbed the "modern-day Anne Frank" when her heartrending book "Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Wartime Sarajevo" reached global acclaim. In her conversation with Erin, Zlata paints a vivid picture of what it was like to grow up with bombs and bullets in the streets of her hometown, reflects on the identity politics that initiated the genocide in the first place, and firmly cautions against the use of labels and stereotypes in the contemporary dialogue. She also encourages us to become the light for other people even amidst the darkness that surrounds us.

Links and Resources:

Books by Zlata Filipovic: https://amzn.to/2LJXKfR

Follow Zlata on Twitter: @ZlataFilipovic

Zlata's Films
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2482126/?ref_=nv_sr_1

More on the Bosnian Genocide:
https://www.history.com/topics/bosnian-genocide
http://worldwithoutgenocide.org/genocides-and-conflicts/bosnian-genocide

Bring a Freedom Writer to Your School or Organization:
http://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/index.php/programs/outreach

Buy Signed Copies of The Freedom Writers Diary
www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/index.php/shop